1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a telephone memory aid. More specifically, the invention relates to apparatus for allowing personal information about a secondary party from a variety of sources to be entered into a database and have that information automatically displayed to the primary party user in future telephone calls.
Telephone systems using caller ID are well known in the art. In these systems information coming from the callers telephone is displayed on the receiver telephone. Examples are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,907604 and 5,982,866. UK patent 2,279,203 discloses an enhanced calling party identifying apparatus that focuses on how to screen calls in an expanded caller ID. A calling party identifying apparatus is electrically connected to an exchange system. The calling party identifying apparatus can display the calling number and the registered name of the calling phone set or the like (such as a fax machine). The calling party identifying apparatus includes a receiver, a microprocessor, a memory, an LCD, a key pad, a plurality of lights, and a speaker. The memory has a database installed therein including a plurality of potential callers"" information each of which includes a specific caller""s name, the calling number of the caller, the preference degree thereof, and the preferred hours for the caller to call. The calling party identifying apparatus is allowed to display the caller""s name on the LCD instead of displaying the registered name of the calling device. When any call comes in, the identification apparatus will check with the database and display the caller""s name, the calling number thereof, and the preference degree thereof The patent is focused on how to screen calls in an expanded caller ID system.
The present invention is a telephone memory aid that is focused on how to capture information during a telephone call and allow entry of information by the user or other party into a database that may be used in future calls. In future calls, the telephone memory aid would allow the user to call or be called by a desired second party and see all of the stored personal information related to the second party. This might include name, date of last call, topics that were discussed in the last telephone call, names of family members, vacation plans, hobbies, and similar such information. The purpose is to improve the conversation flow and communications between the parties of the telephone call.
The apparatus to accomplish the invention is as follows. The telephone memory aid has a first telephone unit of a primary party, a second telephone unit of a secondary party which communicates with the first telephone unit and a database for storing personal information about the secondary party. The telephone memory aid also has a microprocessor communicating with the database for retrieving the personal information of the secondary party in response to a connection of the first and second telephone units. The primary party has a means for reviewing the personal information of the secondary party which is obtained from the database by the microprocessor. An information entry system allows both the primary and secondary parties to enter information about the secondary party into the database during the phone calling process with the secondary party. This secondary party information is available to the primary party on the means for reviewing during future phone calls with the secondary party. Information may also be entered into the database through speech recognition algorithms in the microprocessor and through question and answer sessions with the primary and secondary parties.